ANTWERP
Area: Belgium


Location:
In N_central Belgium near Dutch border. 23 mls N of Brussels. 3 mls NW of airport.

Telephone code from UK:
32

Website:
http://www.antwerpen.be

Position:
On flat land on E bank of River Schelde. Although more than 50 mls from North Sea, a sheltered estuary has allowed city to develop as an important port and industrial centre.

Description:
Cosmopolitan, dynamic and thriving, Antwerp is unpretentious and very likeable, full of history and cultural life. The main focus is the Old Town which occupies a semicircular area running for 1» mls along the river front and bounded by a broad road where the city wall once stood. Within are streets full of character, the monumental Cathedral of Our Lady (1352) containing Rubens originals, a beautiful and tranquil main square (the Grote Markt) and an old waterside fortress known as the Steen. Churches and museums are plentiful; perhaps the best known is Rubens' House, a palace full of furniture owned by the great Antwerp master. Today the city is responsible for half the world's diamond production and cutting has been carried out here for centuries. It is also the world's third-largest port, with many of its 450,000 residents working in industry. A local activity is "doing a terrace": just about any time of the year, cafes have tables and chairs on the street which in summer turn into a sea of coffee and beer drinkers.

Suitability:
75% of visitors are (in equal numbers) from The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; French, British and Americans mostly make up the rest. Appreciated by culture and art lovers, shoppers (especially for diamonds) and those who enjoy having hundreds of beers to choose from.

Accommodation:
Its 50 or so hotels can soon get booked up during holiday periods. Plusher hotels in Old Town or upmarket residential areas outside centre; more budget options around Central Station; also couple of campsites and handful of youth hostels (open to all ages).

Shopping:
Principal shopping streets are mostly pedestrianised De Keyserlei and Meir with European chains and some smaller boutiques. Empire shopping centre and Century centre. Sunday-morning bird market; delightfully named Exotic market selling produce on Sat. Flea markets on Wed and Fri mornings in front of Plantin Moretus Museum. Good buys are Belgian chocolates, of course, as well as Belgian beers and local "witteke" gin. Diamond district around Central Station is full of gem shops.

Entertainments:
Daytime: sightseeing and shopping. Various museums, including fine-art museum and National Maritime Museum (most close Mon). Walking tours (on architecture or in footsteps of Rubens, for example); diamond tours. Antwerp Zoo. Boat cruises. Exhibitions in International Cultural Centre. Nightlife: vibrant by Belgian standards, much of it informal and centred on taverns. Two red-light districts (around port and Central Station). Discos from sleazy to sophisticated. Has its own opera company.

Eating:
Truly international; along with expected Italian and Chinese places, choose from Mongolian barbecues, Egyptian grills, Spanish tapas and especially Greek, Moroccan and Turkish which reflect city's cultural mix. Particularly high concentration of restaurants around Grote Markt, some geared specifically to tourists, and in the more sleazy area around Central Station and De Keyserlei Street. Mussels and chips are a popular local dish, washed down with the local beer called "bolleke". English menus can be hard to come across, but waiting staff will usually translate, although service can be slow. Waffles and Belgian fries are served on the street, and tea salons proliferate.

Public-transport:
Antwerp is well served by public transport. Small underground Metro system (stations few and far between) augmented by numerous tram and bus stops. Taxis. Horse-drawn carriages.

Local-excursions:
Half day: Turnhout (playing-card museum). Full day: historical Lier and Mechelen; St Niklaas; Brussels; Ghent.